vanilla baked cheesecake with mulled plums

A delicious baked vanilla cheesecake served with mulled plums, plum puree and a mulled plum syrup. A decadent dessert that can easily feed a crowd.

The final post from our Christmas menu series and this time we are serving up a vanilla baked cheesecake. We have paired this beautifully light cheesecake with the festive flavours of mulled plum.

Although there are a few components to this dish, they can all be prepared ahead of time and kept in the fridge until you are ready to assemble. Just remember to take everything from the fridge an hour before serving to come to room temperature.

This was the dessert we served at our recent Supperclub. It went down very well with all our guests. Although the cheesecake is a baked cheesecake it is a very light one and the addition of vanilla adds a lovely sweetness. The mulled plum syrup is not overly sweet, it adds a sharpness to the dish to balance sweetness.

With this cheesecake we exorcised the ghosts of Christmas cheesecakes past! Michelle baked a cheesecake a few years ago. Following the recipe to the letter, it was a disaster and we don’t mention split cheesecake! There has been much laughter over the years about this meltdown. Since then Michelle hasn’t baked a cheesecake and we thought it was about time to get over this. No way we were going to risk having the recipe fail on us on the day of our Supperclub, we set to testing the recipe a couple of times before hand. Of course I’m more than happy to sample Michelle’s baking, purely for research of course. This recipe was spot on as the cheesecake is beautifully light. Worth mentioning that she substituted the vanilla for lemon on one occasion and this worked equally well.

Given this size of this cheesecake it’s great for feeding a crowd as you can get 12 generous portions from one cheesecake. Making it an ideal dessert at this time of year.

Ingredients

vanilla cheesecake

900gPhiladelphia full fat soft cheesewe have best results with Philadelphia brand

250ggolden caster sugar

3tbspplain flour

2tspvanilla extractor 1 1/2 of vanilla bean paste

3largefree range eggs + 1 yolk

200mlsoured cream

mulled plums

1.5kgplums

1bottle good quality red wine

1orangesliced

5cmcinnamon stick

1/4nutmeggrated

mulled plum puree

6mulled plums

2tbspmulling liquor

4tbspgolden caster sugar

mulled plum syrup

remaining mulling liquor

5tbspgolden caster sugar

Instructions

vanilla cheesecake

Heat the oven to 180C/ 160C fan, ensure oven rack in middle of shelf.

Line the base of a 23cm springform cake tin by putting a piece of parchment paper on top of the tin base and then clipping the side on so the paper is trapped and any excess sticks out of the bottom.

For the base, melt the butter in a medium pan or microwave. Add to the digestive biscuit crumbs and 1 tbsp golden caster so the mixture is evenly moist. Press the mixture into the bottom of the springform pan and bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack while you prepare the filling.

For the filling, increase the oven temperature to fan 220C/ 200C fan/ gas 7. In a table top mixer or powerful hand mixer beat 900g full-fat soft cheese at medium-low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.

With the mixer on low, gradually add 250g golden caster sugar, then 3 tbsp plain flour and a pinch of salt, scraping down the sides of the bowl when needed.

Add the vanilla extract and whisk in 3 large eggs and 1 yolk, one at a time, scraping the bowl as needed.

Stir the soured cream until smooth and add to the mixture Continue on low speed as you add the soured cream. Whisk to blend, but don't over-mix. The batter should be smooth, light and airy.

Brush the sides of the springform tin with melted butter and put on a baking sheet. Pour in the filling the top should be as smooth as possible, if too many bubbles pierce with a toothpick. Bake for 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 110C/ 90C fan and bake for 45 minutes more. If you gently shake the tin, the filling should have a slight wobble. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DURING THIS TIME.

Turn off the oven and open the oven door for a cheesecake that's creamy in the centre, or leave it closed if you prefer a drier texture. Let cool in the oven for 2-3 hours. The cheesecake may get a slight crack on top as it cools.

mulled plums

Place all the ingredients for the mulled plums into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Then turn down the heat and gently poach the plums for 15 minutes. The plums should be soft but not too soft as you need to be able to slice them.

Take the plums off the heat. Strain off the poaching liquor and set aside for making the syrup and puree. Discard the orange slices and cinnamon stick. Take each plum, place on a rack and allow to cool.

Once cool take half the plums, de-stone them and gently peel off the thin layer of skin. Slice each half into thin wedges and set aside for decorating the cheesecake.

plum puree

To make the plum puree take the remaining plums, remove the skin, de-stone them and place in a small saucepan. Add the sugar and 4tbsp of the mulled wine cooking liquor.

Bring gently to medium heat, stir to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar has dissolved take off the heat. Blitz to a smooth puree and set aside until you are ready to serve.

mulled plum syrup

Place the remaining mulled poaching wine into a saucepan and add golden caster sugar. Turn the head to high and reduce the liquid by half until you have a pouring syrup. Take care not to reduce too far or you will end up with a jam. Set aside and allow to cool.

To assemble take a slice of cheesecake and place it on your serving plate. Place some slices of poached plum on the top and drizzle with a little of the syrup. Place a spoon of the plum puree on the side of the dish and serve.

Recipe Notes

This is a great recipe to prepare ahead of time. The cheesecake can be prepared up to 2-3 days before serving. Best at least1 day ahead of needing. Also, once cooked and cooled this cheesecake can be frozen for up to 3 months in portions.

The plum puree and syrup can also be prepared ahead of time, cooled and kept in the fridge until you are ready to serve. If the syrup has solidified, simply heat it gently in a pan and add a little water to loosen if you need to. Take care not to boil as this will only cause the syrup to further reduce.

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